scholarly journals The Relationship between Menthol Cigarette Use, Smoking Cessation and Relapse: Findings from Waves 1 to 4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study

Author(s):  
Sarah D Mills ◽  
Yajing Hao ◽  
Kurt M Ribisl ◽  
Christopher A Wiesen ◽  
Kristen Hassmiller Lich

Abstract Introduction Some, but not all, studies suggest that menthol cigarette smokers have more difficulty quitting than non-menthol cigarette smokers. Inconsistent findings may be a result of differences in smoker characteristics (e.g. daily vs. non-daily smokers) across studies. This study examines the relationship between menthol cigarette use, cessation and relapse in a longitudinal, nationally representative study of tobacco use in the United States. Methods Data come from four waves of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Waves 1-4 were conducted approximately annually from September 2013 to January 2018. Generalized estimating equation models were used to prospectively examine the relationship between menthol cigarette use, cessation, and relapse in non-daily and daily adult (18+) smokers. Cessation was defined as smokers who had not used cigarettes within the past 30 days at their subsequent assessment. Relapse was defined as cessation followed by past 30-day smoking in the next assessment. Results Among daily smokers (n=13,710), 4.0% and 5.3% of menthol and non-menthol smokers quit after one year, respectively. In an adjusted model, menthol smokers were less likely to quit compared to non-menthol smokers (OR=0.76 [0.63, 0.91]). When the sample was stratified by race/ethnicity, African-American (OR=0.58 [0.34, 0.99]) and White (OR=0.58 [0.34, 0.99]) daily menthol users were less likely to have quit. Among non-daily smokers (n=3,608), there were no significant differences in quit rates. Among daily and non-daily former smokers, there were also no differences in relapse rates between menthol and non-menthol smokers. Conclusions Menthol cigarette use is associated with lower odds of cessation. Implications Findings from this study suggest that menthol cigarette use is associated with lower odds of cessation, but not relapse. Removing menthol cigarettes from the market may improve cessation rates.

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Connor R. Miller ◽  
Hangchuan Shi ◽  
Dongmei Li ◽  
Maciej L. Goniewicz

Following their introduction a decade ago, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have grown in popularity. Given their novelty, knowledge of the health consequences of e-cigarette use remains limited. Epidemiologic studies have not comprehensively explored associations between e-cigarette use and hypertension, a highly prevalent health condition and major contributor to cardiovascular disease burden. In this study, cross-sectional associations of cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use (vaping) with self-reported diagnosed hypertension were evaluated among 19,147 18–55 year old respondents in Wave 3 (2015–2016) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Multivariable analyses first modeled smoking and vaping as separate 2-category variables, then as a 6-category composite variable accounting for former smoking. After adjusting for potential confounders, current vaping (aOR = 1.31; 95%CI: 1.05–1.63) and current smoking (aOR = 1.27; 95%CI: 1.10–1.47) were both associated with higher odds of hypertension. In analyses modeling smoking and vaping compositely, respondents who were concurrently smoking and vaping had the highest odds of hypertension (aOR = 1.77; 95%CI: 1.32–2.39 [referent: never smokers]). These results differ somewhat from prior epidemiologic studies of vaping and respiratory outcomes, which consistently report smaller point estimates for current vaping than for current smoking. Our findings reinforce the uncertainty surrounding long-term health consequences of vaping, as well as highlight important distinctions between respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes when considering the harm reduction potential of e-cigarettes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 466-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy C Jao ◽  
Marcia M Tan ◽  
Phoenix A Matthews ◽  
Melissa A Simon ◽  
Robert Schnoll ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Despite the overall decline in the prevalence of cigarette use in the United States, menthol cigarette use among smokers is rising, and evidence shows that it may lead to more detrimental effects on public health than regular cigarette use. One of the mechanisms by which nicotine sustains tobacco use and dependence is due to its cognitive enhancing properties, and basic science literature suggests that menthol may also enhance nicotine’s acute effect on cognition. Aims and Methods The purpose of this review is to suggest that the cognitive enhancing effects of menthol may be a potentially important neuropsychological mechanism that has yet to be examined. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of basic science studies examining neurobiological and cognitive effects of menthol and menthol cigarette smoking. We also review studies examining menthol essential oils among humans that indicate menthol alone has acute cognitive enhancing properties. Finally, we present factors influencing the rising prevalence of menthol cigarette use among smokers and the importance of this gap in the literature to improve public health and smoking cessation treatment. Conclusions Despite the compelling evidence for menthol’s acute cognitive enhancing and reinforcing effects, this mechanism for sustaining tobacco dependence and cigarette use has yet to be examined and validated among humans. On the basis of the basic science evidence for menthol’s neurobiological effects on nicotinic receptors and neurotransmitters, perhaps clarifying menthol’s effect on cognitive performance can help to elucidate the complicated literature examining menthol and tobacco dependence. Implications Menthol cigarette use has continued to be a topic of debate among researchers and policy makers, because of its implications for understanding menthol’s contribution to nicotine dependence and smoking persistence, as well as its continued use as a prevalent flavoring in tobacco and nicotine products in the United States and internationally. As international tobacco regulation policies have begun to target menthol cigarettes, research studies need to examine how flavoring additives, specifically menthol, may acutely influence neurobiological and cognitive functioning as a potential mechanism of sustained smoking behavior to develop more effective treatments.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron Hicks ◽  
Jonathan Butler ◽  
Natalie B Slopen ◽  
David Williams ◽  
Dayna A Johnson ◽  
...  

Introduction: While insomnia is associated with an increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), its relationship with ideal cardiovascular health (ICH) is less certain. Given that sleep disturbances increase with age, we examined the relationship between insomnia symptoms and ICH in older women. Methods: Among women participating in the ongoing Women’s Health Study stress cohort with no apparent history of CVD [N= 2588; Mean age= 72.5 ± 6.3], insomnia symptoms were characterized as self-reported difficulty falling asleep or waking up multiple times a night, three or more times per week. Ideal cardiovascular health, as defined by the American Heart Association’s 2020 Impact goals, included standard optimal targets for blood pressure, total cholesterol, glucose, body mass index, physical activity, diet, and smoking. We examined the relationship between insomnia symptoms and ICH using logistic regression, adjusting for clinical and demographic variables. Results: Of the 26588 participants, 52% reported insomnia symptoms, and 38% had ICH. Women with insomnia symptoms had significantly lower odds of ICH after full adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, education, income, depression/anxiety, marital status, and sleep duration (OR [95% CI]: 0.73 [0.64-0.83]). Moreover, compared to women without insomnia symptoms, those with insomnia symptoms were significantly more likely to have hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, depression, anxiety, currently smoke, drink one or more alcoholic beverages per day, have a BMI >30, or exercise less frequently. Conclusion: In older women, insomnia symptoms were significantly associated with lower odds of ideal cardiovascular health even after adjusting for socioeconomic status, psychosocial factors, and sleep duration. These results suggest insomnia screening may be an important component of cardiovascular health promotion in this patient population. Further research is needed to evaluate the effects of sleep behavioral interventions on improving ICH.


2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (10) ◽  
pp. 1150-1156
Author(s):  
B.W. Chaffee ◽  
D. Persai ◽  
M.V. Vora

Interdental cleaning is routinely recommended, despite limited evidence supporting efficacy to prevent advanced oral disease endpoints, such as caries and periodontal disease. We aimed to examine associations between interdental cleaning and oral health in a large, generalizable prospective cohort of adults in the United States. Data were drawn from wave 3 (2015 to 2016, n = 26,086 included in analysis) and wave 4 (2016 to 2018, n = 22,585) of the adult component (age ≥18 y) of the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Survey-weighted multivariable regression models estimated the associations between wave 3 weekly interdental cleaning frequency and 6 measures of self-reported oral health—overall rating, tooth extractions, gum bleeding, loose teeth, bone loss around teeth, and gum disease—cross-sectionally and prospectively, with adjustment for established periodontal disease risk factors. As compared with no interdental cleaning, interdental cleaning ≥7 times/wk was prospectively associated with greater odds of excellent self-rated oral health (adjusted odds ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.62), lower odds of bleeding gums (adjusted odds ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.70), but not statistically significantly lower odds of other oral health conditions in the following 12 mo. Older age, lower socioeconomic status, diabetes, and cigarette smoking were consistently associated with worse oral health across all outcome measures. Findings were largely robust to alternative model and variable specifications. Interdental cleaning is associated with better perceived oral health and less self-reported gingivitis. Prevention of more advanced disease states was not demonstrated. These findings should be interpreted cautiously given the self-reported nature of the measures and relatively short follow-up period.


2021 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2021-056907
Author(s):  
Rebecca A Jackson ◽  
Chunfeng Ren ◽  
Blair Coleman ◽  
Hannah R Day ◽  
Cindy M Chang ◽  
...  

ObjectiveExamine patterns of dual use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco and complete switching over time among adult current cigarette smokers using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Wave 3 (2015–2016), Wave 4 (2016–2018) and Wave 5 (2018–2019).MethodsWe examined four tobacco use states among 6834 exclusive smokers and 372 dual users at Wave 3 with two waves of follow-up data: exclusive cigarette use, exclusive smokeless tobacco use, dual use and use of neither product.ResultsAmong exclusive smokers at Wave 3, only 1.6% (95% CI: 1.3% to 2.1%) transitioned to dual use at Wave 4, and 0.1% (95% CI: 0.07% to 0.2%) switched to exclusive smokeless tobacco use. Among exclusive smokers who switched to dual use, 53.1% (95% CI: 40.9% to 64.9%) returned to exclusive cigarette smoking, 34.3% (95% CI: 23.8% to 46.6%) maintained dual use and 12.6% (95% CI: 7.0% to 21.7%) did not smoke cigarettes after an additional wave of follow-up. Dual users at Wave 3 were likely to maintain their dual use status at Wave 4, 51.2% (95% CI: 46.1% to 56.3%) and Wave 5, 47.9% (95% CI: 40.1% to 55.8%).ConclusionsVery few cigarette smokers transition to smokeless tobacco use, and among those who do, dual use is more common than exclusive smokeless tobacco use. Further, the majority of exclusive cigarette smokers who transition to dual use at Wave 4 continue smoking cigarettes at Wave 5, either as dual users or as exclusive smokers.


Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda R Jones ◽  
Benjamin J Apelberg ◽  
Ana Navas-Acien

Introduction: Cigarette flavorings, with the exception of menthol, have been banned under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Previous studies have found strong associations between active smoking and peripheral arterial disease. While there is substantial interest in evaluating the health effects of menthol as compared to regular cigarette use, no information is available on the influence of cigarette type (non-menthol or menthol) on the risk of peripheral arterial disease. Objective: To investigate the association of cigarette smoking, menthol cigarette use and the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in US adults Methods: We studied 5,978 adults 40 years of age and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999–2004. Information on participant smoking status and cigarette type were derived from self-reported questionnaire data. Peripheral arterial disease was defined as an ankle-brachial blood pressure index <0.9 in at least one leg. Results: The weighted prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in the study population was 4.9%. Fifty percent of participants were never smokers compared to 31%, 14% and 5% of former, current non-menthol and current menthol cigarette smokers, respectively. After adjustment for demographics and cardiovascular risk factors, the odds ratio for peripheral arterial disease was 1.98 (95% CI: 1.41, 2.80), 5.24 (95% CI: 3.41, 8.05), 3.37 (95% CI: 1.86, 6.10) comparing former, current regular cigarette smokers and current menthol cigarette smokers to never smokers. After further adjustment for pack-years and serum cotinine, the odds ratio for peripheral arterial disease was 1.44 (95% CI: 0.97, 2.15), 3.65 (95% CI: 1.57, 8.50) and 2.51 (95% CI: 1.09, 5.80) comparing former, current regular cigarette smokers and current menthol cigarette smokers to never smokers. The significant association between smoking and peripheral arterial disease was similar for smokers of non-menthol and menthol cigarettes (p-value for heterogeneity= 0.53). Conclusions: In a representative sample of the US population, current menthol cigarette use was associated with increased prevalence of peripheral arterial disease with no difference compared to smoking non-menthol cigarettes.


Circulation ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (suppl_12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda R Jones ◽  
Ana Navas-Acien

Introduction: Cigarette flavorings, with the exception of menthol, have been banned under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the authority to regulate tobacco product constituents, including the use of menthol, if the scientific evidence indicates harm; however few studies have evaluated the health effects of menthol as compared to nonmenthol cigarette use. Objective: To investigate the prospective associations of cigarette smoking and menthol cigarette use with all cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality in U.S. adults. Methods: We studied 10,158 adults 20 years of age and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999-2004 and were followed for an average of 4.7 years. Results: Fifty-five percent of participants were never smokers compared to 23%, 17% and 5% of former, current nonmenthol and current menthol cigarette smokers, respectively. The multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals [CI]) for former, current nonmenthol cigarette smokers and current menthol cigarette smokers compared to never smokers were 1.21 (0.93, 1.56), 2.46 (1.57, 3.83) and 2.10 (1.21, 3.66), respectively, for all-cause mortality, 0.86 (0.58, 1.27), 2.10 (1.05, 4.21) and 3.53 (1.55, 8.02) for cardiovascular mortality, 1.32 (0.73, 2.38), 4.04 (1.96, 8.35) and 5.50 (1.90, 15.88) for heart disease mortality and 1.94 (1.23, 3.05), 3.88 (2.21, 6.80) and 2.08 (1.01, 4.28) for cancer mortality. Compared to current nonmenthol cigarette smokers, adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) for current menthol cigarette smokers were 0.87 (0.54, 1.42) for all-cause mortality, 1.66 (0.75, 3.68) for cardiovascular mortality, 1.39 (0.52, 3.67) for heart disease mortality and 0.57 (0.28, 1.18) for cancer mortality. Conclusions: In a representative sample of U.S. adults, menthol cigarette smoking was associated with increased all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality with no differences compared to nonmenthol cigarettes, except maybe an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Webb Hooper ◽  
Sabrina L. Smiley

<p class="Pa6"><strong>Objective: </strong>E-cigarette use is increasing among adult cigarette smokers. With the availability and variety of appealing charac­teristics, including menthol flavor, e-ciga­rette use patterns may differ among menthol and non-menthol cigarette smokers. This study compared e-cigarette knowledge and use between current menthol and non-menthol smokers aged ≥18 years.</p><p class="Pa6"><strong>Design: </strong>Current adult cigarette smokers (N=223; <em>M</em>=42.1 years; <em>SD</em>=12.2; 68% menthol smokers) recruited in South Florida completed an interviewer-administered sur­vey via telephone during June to November 2014.</p><p class="Pa6"><strong>Main Outcome Measures: </strong>E-cigarette use (ever-use, past 30-day use, past 30-day flavored e-cigarette use, and past 30-day mentholated e-cigarette use), consideration of e-cigarette use for quitting/reduction of cigarettes, and knowledge assessments. Bivariate and multivariate analyses tested associations with menthol smoking.</p><p class="Pa6"><strong>Results: </strong>Menthol smokers were more likely to be African American or Hispanic (P&lt;.001) and report lower income (P=.02) and education (P&lt;.001) than non-menthol smokers. Adjusted analyses found no as­sociation between menthol cigarette use and e-cigarette ever-use. However, menthol smokers demonstrated less e-cigarette knowledge (P&lt;.01) and were more likely to consider using e-cigarettes to quit/re­duce smoking (AOR=3.89, CI:1.55-9.78). Among ever-users, there was no association between menthol cigarette use and past 30-day e-cigarette use, yet menthol smokers were more likely to use menthol flavored e-cigarettes (AOR=6.65, CI: 1.94-12.78).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings suggest that, compared with current non-menthol smokers, current menthol smokers are more likely to consider using e-cigarettes to help quit/reduce smoking, and are more likely to use menthol flavored e-cigarettes. Further research is needed to better ex­amine low e-cigarette knowledge among menthol smokers, which may represent an important intervention target.</p><p><em>Ethn Dis. </em>2018;28(3):153-160; doi:10.18865/ ed.28.3.153.</p>


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